Back in harness for 2026 after a Sunshine Coast holiday.

Dec 21st saw us jetting off to the big island to our south. We arrived at Brisbane Airport, picked up a rental BYD Atto 3 EV and took the M1 up to Wurtulla on the Sunshine Coast. We had rented a nice house for the next two weeks in a quiet street adjacent to Currimundi Lake. After a couple of days on our own we were joined by Liz and Sophie, David and Toby on Christmas Day. The boys stayed a few days and the girls a week. We didn't do a lot as we were all tired at the end of the year but it was great to be together for the first time in quite a while. 

Jenny, David and Liz chilling.


Osprey

Mistletoebird

Red-backed Fairywren

Little Corella

The lack of daylight saving in Qld meant that the sun was up just before 0500 every morning and I took my coffee out the front to watch a great variety of birds along the lakeside park. A short walk towards the coast took us to Currimundi Lake Conservation Park - a small reserve of mostly coastal heathland. I popped in there most days and always added a new bird or two to the trip list. There were other great areas within a short driving distance as well. It was so amazing to be able to just park and walk into the bush. Can't do that here! 110 species in 2 weeks. I finished 2025 on 941 species - a record I am unlikely to break.

With some reluctance Jenny and I headed back to Lae via Port Moresby on the 3rd January. Back at work lots of people are away and I have been focused on a Spreadsheet for Beginners course to run soon alongside some other training to be delivered by a colleague from NARI's Aiyura Research Centre near Goroka. I sent out the invitations to staff last week but so far have had only one reply - the training days might need to be deferred by a couple of weeks until people return from leave.

I'm still waiting to hear when we will start publishing papers in the newly relaunched PNG Journal of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (https://journal.pngagriculture.net/index.php/pngjaff). We have several papers that are ready to go but no-one is prepared to fire the starting gun just yet. Management have been tied up with budget issues recently so hopefully we'll get a clear run at the journal any day now.

Two items of great news in recent days: First is that David has bought a nice little apartment in Carlton. Subject to the paperwork etc. but if all that goes in he will own it late February. The second is that our Australian Volunteers insurance policy has covered us for all of our claimed expenses incurred as a result of flight cancellations when we were trying to get back from New Britain in November.

I've discovered the treadmill in our gym here and most days recently I have had a strenuous 30 minute walk - gradually increasing the walking speed each time. With the radio or a podcast playing in my earbuds the time passes quickly.

This morning's effort.

Very few birds to report since our return to Lae. In fact a few are missing - no Hornbills, Variable Goshawk or Fruit Doves so far for 2026 for instance. I heard a tantalising call last weekend from the forest adjacent to our village. Definitely a pigeon and the only close matches I get when I play calls are a Cuckoo Dove or New Guinea Bronzewing. Either would be new for the trip. I reckon the Bronzewing was the better match. 

I will try again to get either one of the local tour companies or a work colleague to take me into the bush very soon. It is clear the birds are not going to come to me!

Despite the fogging for mosquitos every few days here we still get a nice diversity of insects and I photograph everything and post them on iNaturalist for help with identification.

Probably Atractomorpha sp. (One of the Gaudy Grasshoppers)

A mantid - hopefully I can get a better ID on this handsome creature

Probably Ceropria sp. (A Darkling Beetle).
If so it will be the first Ceropria recorded on iNaturalist for the island of New Guinea.

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